it's the coffee.

but it's so much more.

 

so ritual is the name of a coffee shop in the city, but we stumbled upon another in napa today as we needed a place to sit and read and be caffeinated.

the coffee shop sits in this market near downtown napa in what i would describe as a chic open market with restaurants, artisans, and delicacies.

so to catch you up...my pastor husband and i are making deposits by spending time together on mondays, his day off, before we travel to india to bring home our daughter. and embark on another adventure in life! monday {day} dates and revisit the past few years are the previous two posts about such dates.

ritual.

it comes from the root meaning a customary service or practice. 

that's what mondays are for us right now in this season.

for us, it looks like leaving the pile of weekend laundry and crumby floors and not doing "work."

this means we have to leave the house and not go near the office!

so today...the east bay and napa.

our central plan was to enjoy lunch at assemble {recommended by our brother-in-law matthew}. and we love recommendations.

assemble opened at 11:30 and we were there with growling stomachs.

interestingly, this restaurant is located deep in the industrial park of richmond, california.

the street dead ends into an old ford assembly plant {hence the restaurant name...clever, huh?}

now, the plant is home to columbia and mountain gear clothing.

and there's a national historical park and visitor's center because the plant and surrounding land was home to shipyards during world war II.

 

so i learned a litte more about rosie the riveter and how the bay area was so attractive to whites and blacks alike in the midst of the great depression to come for work in the shipyards. how the women found purpose in working outside the home while the men went to war. how childcare centers and after school programs grew in high demand with moms no longer at home.

henry kaiser saw the future and got the shipyards ready before the usa was fully involved in the war.

this day continues to explain the diversity in our city and through the messiness of war and drastic cultural and religious practices, how people learn to work and live together for the good of a nation and the world.

and then this...

a faint view of the city.

a city that looks gray, but once in the midst, is full of color.

a city that me and my pastor husband can't get enough of!

and escape {step back} to see the very place God has called us to.

then we give thanks and eat!

frito pie in the frito bag, kale salad with bacon dressing, sliders and fries and one of the last slices of mississippi mud pie.

who says we can't leave the south and still not get a taste of it!?

then back to the city.

back to the kids.

back to the pile of weekend laundry and work.

but with someone who is on my side and has heard my thoughts and dreams and fears.

deposits made.

what is a ritual you have or will start with your spouse? 
put it on the calendar. 
keep at it!